ESS -> 'Battery Pack'

[TEG]

Over here were some 'teasers' about 'battery pack' changes for the sedan including:

"...There's some pretty big changes on the powertrain side... going to make an announcement on that probably in a few months. There are really huge improvements on the powertrain side..."
"...changing the name of the ESS to the battery pack, that's what it is..."
"...yes, there's some significant improvements to the battery pack...
"...The Roadster's got really... Version 1 history of the technology; Version 2 is a whole step above that in many different ways..."
"...And so there are some really cool things that you'll see announced about WhiteStar..."

I kept wondering why the plan to change the name from 'ESS' to just 'Battery Pack'. Perhaps it will be totally different technology? For instance LiFePo cells with no liquid cooling? There have also been hints about quick change "pack swap" stations which were supposedly impractical with the old ESS. Anyways, there is a fair amount of anticipation now as to what 'Model S' will look like, but the changes for "Powertrain 2.0" are also supposed to be significant.

Lets hope the new 'battery pack' technology addresses the "pump always on" concern that Martin mentioned recently.

[malcolm]

Could be improved ease of assembly/modular design to cut costs. Yet swapping cell chemistry will impact on both this and the range, so I'm hoping they stick with traditional Li-Ion commodity cells and improve the cooling. Maybe higher capacity cells which can give the same range for lower price and weight are now a realistic option?

According to Aaron the battery will be in the floor of Model S which will presumably allow for easier cooling and maintenance. The present system seems to have 11 sheets of cells; 10 for the motor, 1 for the electronics wired in 99s69p so that the computers will always remain on to control the car. I assume this means the 1 sheet will age at a different rate from the other 10. Maybe there's a new approach for this as well.

Perhaps the change in battery geometry makes it a whole lot easier to design an integrated cooling system for battery, PEM, motor and occupants which can run from the front of the vehicle to the back and still give excellent trunk space.

I'm also hoping for a new induction motor which is less prone to overheat.

And a spare wheel. Not very 2.0, but still important.

ETA: Three Phase charging has been mentioned. But if single phase overnight charging is available/tried n' tested, I can't see the point myself.

[TEG]

...the battery will be in the floor of Model S...

Yes, that has been mentioned multiple times. Rav4EV style.

...The present system seems to have 11 sheets of cells; 10 for the motor, 1 for the electronics...

Is that right? I assumedt it used a DC/DC converter.

The Roadster battery system whitepaper says "...the battery pack is comprised of 11 battery modules (otherwise referred to as “Sheets”), a main control and logic PCB (printed circuit board), and a 12V DC-DC power supply. Each of the 11 modules carries a monitoring PCB (with its own microprocessor) that communicates with the rest of the vehicle microcontrollers, broadcasting the voltage and temperature measurements of its module over a standard CAN bus...."

I assume this means the 1 sheet will age at a different rate from the other 10.

I think there is a chance that may not be true.

I'm also hoping for a new induction motor which is less prone to overheat.

Previously they mentioned that they were investigating water cooling for the eMotor. I wonder if drive-train 2.0 would be retrofitted back to the Roadster? (Particularly desirable for the German market)

ETA: Three Phase charging has been mentioned. But if single phase overnight charging is available/tried n' tested, I can't see the point myself.

My take was that commercial/industrial 3-Phase has higher current capability, so if you wanted to have some sort of quick-charge on the go (such as while stopping at a restaurant) it would be useful to offer a 3-phase hook up. Not the mythical "10 minute full charge", but still a way to get some decent charge in a hurry well above what you could get from the existing mobile charger adapter.